President Salva Kiir’s courage: Wisdom triumphs over warfare, a defeat of the warlords, in South Sudan
Emmanuel Sunday de John2
By Dr. Sunday de John, Nairobi, Kenya
Tuesday, 11 March 2025 (PW) — In the Republic of South Sudan, a country staggering on the cliff of chaos, warlords and war profiteers nearly plunged the country into another devastating conflict; a war that would serve no national interest, only the ambitions of the few.
This impending disaster was halted by President Salva Kiir Mayardit through an act not of force, but of profound restraint, a call for calm that rang across the divided land.
It was in this critical moment that a fundamental truth emerged, true leadership is not defined by easy commands issued during times of peace, but by wise restraint exercised when provoked to violence.
When the drums of war beat their loudest, President Kiir chose the harder path of peace, revealing the essence of leadership that exceeds mere power and embraces the courage to step back from the edge.
Following the death of Maj. Gen. Majur Dak Thel and his men in Nasir County on March 7, 2025, President Salva Kiir Mayardit solemnly but importantly called for calm. His concise words held more impact than the typical clamor of warlords and opportunists beating their drums of war. This single act of wisdom has protected the country from descending further into chaos, once again proving that peaceful leadership is essential.
President Kiir’s firm stance against war reflects more than political strategy; his assertion, “our country will not go back to war” is not an empty refrain but an ironclad commitment that resonates with the moral strength of historical luminaries like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
In the spirit of Lincoln’s determination to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and Roosevelt’s success in resolving the 1902 Great Coal Strike, President Kiir has kept his word and honor, choosing the challenging path of dialogue and self-control rather than succumbing to the allure of reactive force. His role as a voice of reason in a volatile country has elevated him to a faultless statesmanlike status, ensuring his legacy will be indelibly marked in history.
With honest reflection, history has taught us that wars are initiated by a few, yet their impact is felt by many. South Sudan is a clear example of this reality. The wounds from the 2013 conflict are still visible in the country. The sequelae of 2013 war are reflected in the shattered economy, communities constantly on the move, and generations lacking stability. The future of everyone is uncertain.
Like victims of 2013 war, I had suffered from the consequences of war, not as a fighter, but as someone who has endured its harsh aftermath. My mother and other South Sudanese lost their lives in a tragic incident while coming back from Khartoum, when a streamer travelling from Kosti was ambushed and incinerated at Wath-kech in Upper Nile state. Consequent to that, I was orphaned at a young age. I have grown up without a warmth of a mother’s love, without siblings to lean on or share my burdens with, and without the security of familial bonds. This has been my reality, all because war had dictated my fate. It is a fate I do not wish upon another soul. War is not just a battlefield; it is the annihilation of futures.
However, amidst the war abyss, there exists a lifeline, the rejection of war as a means of resolution to an acute or longstanding conflict. The Community of Sant’Egidio, a Rome-based Catholic peace organization, upholds the wisdom that war is the mother of all poverty. It erodes economies, fractures societies, and breeds generational despair.
The World Bank, in its policy research, categorizes the devastation of war into three rings: the inner ring, where displacement, death, and destitution afflict noncombatants; the second ring, where neighboring countries shoulder the burden of refugees, strain on their resources and the spread of diseases; and the outer ring, where lawlessness causes anarchy, enabling external aggressors and illicit trade to flourish. South Sudan stands at the cliff of these rings. Despite this, we do not have to step into the abyss. Further displacement would be unbearable. The refugees in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia are already experiencing the despicable impact of displacement and their conditions are even deteriorating as a result of the United States of America’s new policies.
With all this in mind, I can unremorsefully state that President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s call for calm is not an act of passivity but an assertion of responsible governance. The Nasir massacre, tragic as it is, should not serve as a pretext for those seeking political or personal gains through bloodshed.
Justice cannot be achieved by retaliatory violence; rather, it must be sought within the legal parameters. When the rule of law is administered with certainty and impartiality, it provides justice to both the accused and the victims. South Sudan must resist becoming a part of the tragic cycle in which war breeds war, producing warlords who view violence as a profession rather than an anomaly. We must avoid being trapped in the cycle of violence.
The White Army is the result of conflicts, a group hardened by intercommunal conflicts and its later use as a fighting force alongside the SPLA-IO by Dr. Riek Machar. More of its kind must not be produced and its elements should through peace be asked to lay down arms since nobody should share monopoly of violence with the government of the Republic of South Sudan. The country must not, however, be bound by its history of violence. We must recognize that war is a curse rather than a solution to our unaddressed grievances. If we acknowledge this, we can, as a nation achieve a future of peace.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has shown that leadership is about using wisdom rather than power, by exercising caution instead of recklessness and preserving national unity over partisan goals.
A great visionary leader is one who, with the weight of his words alone, can predict and prevent a national calamity. President Salva Kiir Mayardit has fulfilled his obligation; now, it is the responsibility of every South Sudanese to fulfill theirs.
Finally, we must accept that war is preventable. Peace is possible. And history will remember those who chose to build their country rather than destroy it.
Till then, Mr. Teetotaler!
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